Bayern Munich's Javi Martinez has told TZ that he did indeed fear that his career might be over, following a rotten run of injuries.
The Spanish international has been plagued by problems recently, none worse than his ACL tear in last year's DFL-Supercup defeat to Borussia Dortmund. That has kept him out for a considerably long time, and strained knee ligaments due to a lack of strength in his thighs has only exacerbated the problem. Such a lengthy lay-off meant he made just one single Bundesliga appearance in the 2014-15 season.
The season before seen him feature in 18 league matches but after returning to training this Tuesday, he seems set on putting his problems behind him and continuing to repay the near £30million fee that the Bavarians shelled out for him. If his first campaign with the reigning Bundesliga champions was anything to go by, where he claimed an historic treble, then Pep Guardiola will be glad to have him back in his side.
"It was a very difficult time mentally"
"I had days where I questioned everything. It was a very difficult time mentally," said the Spaniard. He described the process as "really difficult" especially when the knee doesn't show any signs of improvement but "you see the days pass by".
Martinez even believed that he "would never get fit again", saying the thought ran through his mind on occasion. However, he thanked the physios for keeping him on the road to recovery: "But my physios always managed to calm me down." The 27-year-old said they told him "such an injury needs time to heal" and that he would return.
He also admitted "he had his doubts" but remained positive and believed that he would "get back to [his] best form" once he had started training again. While he is currently only in light training, Martinez said: "My knee is doing very well now and I returned to the training pitch on Tuesday. It won't be long now."
Bayern face FC Augsburg this weekend, aiming to continue their 100% record this season.